The service technique involves two-timing presses of the chosen shot button which works well and is tricky enough to feel satisfying. The stadium and players look impressive enough but are merely pleasant window dressing. Still, at least I had a vague idea of how I was supposed to play the game. Each short lesson is bookended by a slightly overlong loading screen to add to the tedium. The tutorials are simplistic yet uninformative hosted by a faceless coach who trots out the same bland congratulatory line every time.
When I returned, I decided to find the tutorials and work out how to play as well as possible when I was finally allowed to take a shot, as clearly the career mode wouldn’t give me the opportunity to learn by simply playing. I put down the controller and decided to come back later once I had stopped despairing. The Coach Without A Face And Civil Service
The rest of the game was equally dismal so I quit to the main menu in disbelief at how little had been learned from classic tennis titles of yore and how incredibly irritating this game appeared. He served and I finally attempted a shot which was “Too late” and sailed off the side of the court. Perhaps the next serve will be better? More bouncing of the ball. After the bouncing, he served and faulted. It was almost like he was mocking me by doing it for that much longer. The first thing that struck me was just how long I had to wait while the CPU opponent bounced the ball before each serve. Character creation should be fun, but this is so limited, only bland generic lumps are possible.Īfter that, you’re thrown into the deep end (surely the career could have guided me through the training first?!) with a tournament match against another newbie player. Absolutely no fun whatsoever and whatever bland lump you choose, you are forced to wear a hideous 80s style mosaic t-shirt for umpteen games until you level up and can buy something slightly less ugly. Merely a meagre selection of last-gen photofits with tweakable chins and noses. Neither the option to create a monster nor the option to model anything which resembles a top player or yourself is present. The character creation tool when you start the career also does not bode well. Well, Tennis World Tour 2 is conspicuous in its absence from Big Ant’s website which doesn’t bode well. Tennis World Tour 2 PS4 Review Tweakable Chins And these games are both superior to anything since, which poses the questions where the hell have 2K Czech and Sega been for the last nine years, and have Big Ant managed to polish the turd that was Tennis World Tour?
Back in the day, PS3 owners were spoilt for choice with the immense Top Spin 4 going up against the equally superb but more arcade-styled Virtua Tennis 4. It’s mighty strange to think that one of the most popular sports in the world has only appeared on the most popular console in the world three times before, courtesy of Nacon on all counts.
So, who could produce a follow up to Tennis World Tour? Nacon decided that the best developer to produce a rival sequel to their own game was the developer of the rival game AO Tennis 2, namely Big Ant Studios.
Meanwhile, Nacon booted out Breakpoint who had fluffed the original Tennis World Tour. The first AO Tennis was patched out of mediocrity by developer, Big Ant Studios, who then delivered a far superior sequel in 2020. Slightly strange considering both titles are pitching for the same audience.
Nacon is the publishers behind both of the tennis series on PS4 – the risible Tennis World Tour and the more competent AO Tennis.